


Surprise

by Weresilver-In-Space (JuhllyMBS)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Pre-Star Trek Beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 18:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuhllyMBS/pseuds/Weresilver-In-Space
Summary: Almost three years into the 5-year mission, the distance to his family got Sulu talking about them, which in turn got Uhura trying to do something about it.





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SheWhoWillRise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWhoWillRise/gifts).



> Am I late? Yes. Was the delay worth it? You tell me! I hope you guys enjoy the gratuitous fluff that is Ana's birthday gift!

Calm days like that were rare aboard the ship, let alone a full week of it, but the quiet hum of the engines and the peaceful atmosphere on the bridge were quite inviting to small chatter, and not even Spock seemed opposed to it.

Amidst the relaxed conversations, Hikaru tried to keep his attention on the helms controls, but the friendly ambiance quickly took his thoughts toward his family and, from time to time, he glanced at the picture he had placed on the corner earlier in his shift. The Russian ensign by his side took notice, however, and finally decided to ask about it, after keeping his curiosity to himself for a while.

“Is that your little sister?” He asked innocently. All that Pavel really knew about his family was that Hikaru had a younger sister.

“What? Oh, no,” he chuckled, “No, I'm not that young, you know. She's my daughter, Demora.” He had a smile on his face as he spoke. Pavel seemed surprised, which only caused Hikaru’s smile to grow wider. “I appreciate the fact you think I look that young, Chekov.”

Hikaru humored the young navigator with some stories of the girl and how she was already interested in a Command career in Starfleet despite her young age, much to his husband’s chagrin. The entire bridge crew was drawn to his stories and even Spock seemed mildly interested.

Or at least that was the conclusion Nyota reached.

She was no different than the rest of the bridge crew listening to him, and the fondness in which Hikaru talked about his daughter wasn’t lost on her.

Later that day, after her shift, she made way to the hydroponics area. More specifically, to the garden that the officers responsible had set up. Nyota had come a little later than usual, held by having to relay information to the captain, but she didn't expect to find the ship’s helmsman tending to a small area of the garden.

“Sulu?” He startled at the call of his name. “Sorry, sorry,” she smiled, “I didn't expect to find you here in your free time.”

“Ah, well,” he dried his hands after changing the water of the plants, “It's a good pastime.” Looking down at his handiwork, he let out a chuckle. “Never did gardening in hydroponics, though.”

“You and Ben have a garden in San Francisco?” Nyota couldn't hide her smile as she sat down beside him.

“Nothing big, it's mostly in vases,” he spoke, not at all surprised that she heard his ramblings on the bridge. “Ben says it's a good family habit,” he laughed.

“It is. I used to help my aunt with her garden until the Academy.” Those were family memories she had always been very fond of, and these moments should not be spent alone. She silently decided to keep Hikaru company as they tended to the plants together.

“Were you the one choosing the flowers?” He asked with barely a questioning tone. The look she gave him, coupled with the small chuckle, answered his question. “Dem is always choosing ours. She says she likes them all, but I’m pretty sure daisies are her favorite.”

“Well, she has good taste, they are nice flowers.”

He nodded and, after a moment, asked: “Do you have any favorites, Uhura?” He turned to her with an expression of curiosity.

“Oh, um,” she paused, thinking. “Roses, I guess?” She laughed at her own uncertainty. “How cliche.” Hikaru echoed her laugh for a brief moment, then started working on the next portion of the area. “What about you?”

He briefly looked up, thoughtful. “I guess… Azaleas?” He lightly shrugged. “It was the first flower Ben gave me and the first one we raised together.”

And that was how they spent the evening: Talking about gardening, family and good memories. Nyota followed his instructions as closely as she paid attention to his stories. He had taken up gardening because of Ben; His husband was the one who really knew how to tend to their plants, and he had been trying to learn from him, putting everything in practice in the ship’s garden.

After they finished that small corner of the garden, each left for their quarters. Getting ready for bed, Nyota thought back on the things she had seen and heard that day. Hikaru’s fondness was as obvious as it could get with every word, and she wondered what it would take to make the distance between him and his family a little more bearable. It wouldn't be the first time she established unlikely comm links, anyway.

* * *

 

Nyota carried her PADD to the bridge the next morning for some final adjustments. Hikaru was sharing yet more stories, this time prompted by the captain himself, and just like the day before, everyone else ended up drawn into listening. The chatter was slightly louder that day, seeing as Jim was quite inquisitive at the center of the bridge, listening attentively to Hikaru's words.

Her focus didn't falter as she worked on the PADD, but a light tap on her shoulder drew her attention away for a moment. Leonard gave Nyota a knowing smile as he walked, along with a glance down at the device on her station. She returned the smile and went back to working on the PADD, determined to finish it up by the end of the shift.

Considering the stillness and silence of the sector they were in, though, it didn't take her much longer to finish and give it a look-over. Everything was in order, and she just had to wait for the end of the shift. One hour and a half left at that point.

Time passed quickly, mostly thanks to Hikaru, and star-charting hadn’t been as tedious as it could have been, according to Jim. The helmsman was quick to leave, and Nyota went to the mess hall first, carrying the PADD-turned-communicator under her arms.

She took a simple snack for the time being and left for hydroponics without much of a doubt. Of course, she was going on a guess, but it was an educated one. Gardening seemed to be the closest Hikaru could get to his family for the time being.

“Hey, Uhura,” he called from the opposite corner of the garden. He was sitting on the floor, barely noticeable among the brighter colored plants. “Didn’t think I’d see you here so early.”

“I was looking for you,” she said softly, with the PADD in her hands. His surprised or maybe curious frown caused her to smile and hand the device to him. “This is for you.”

He turned the PADD on as soon as he took it in his hands. He was faced with a simple screen to type a frequency number, but he had very little idea of what to do with it.

“Come on, you know who to call.” He seemed to be in disbelief as he looked at her. “I could get Doctor McCoy to confirm it’s going to work, but that would ruin the moment, so just call them, Sulu.”

He typed in his home number and watched the PADD slowly work on a connection. It didn’t take long for Ben to pick up the video call. About a minute passed, both of them too surprised to say anything until Hikaru turned to Uhura, smiling brightly. “Is this for real?”

“Hey, talk to your husband, not to me,” Nyota spoke with a laugh. “I’m leaving you two to discuss the visit to Yorktown.” She turned to leave. “We should get there in about three weeks.”

And with that, she did leave. Hikaru turned his attention to the PADD once again, both Ben’s and his own smile growing.

“Did your friend there say what I think she said?” Ben asked, and a small sound elsewhere in the room caught his attention. “She’s gonna love this.”

“Do you think you can make it?” Ben was unable to reply as a running child jumped onto him, laughing and asking more questions than either of them could answer at once. It was Hikaru’s small laugh that drew her attention to the screen, and he could finally see her properly. “Hey, little daisy.”

She was silent for a very brief moment before she jumped toward the screen, giving Ben some room to adjust himself. “Daddy!!” That had to be the most disheveled look he had seen her with. “Daddy, where are you? I thought you were out in space!”

“He is, Demi,” Ben chimed in, coming closer in order to be able to see their screen again. “He just decided to surprise us,” he said with a smirk.

Hikaru laughed, “If only this had been _my_ plan. I was as surprised as you two.”

“Oh! Who surprised you?” Demora looked back at Ben for such a short time that Hikaru doubted she was waiting for some sort of permission. “Are they an officer too?” Ben’s small sigh echoed behind the girl again. “What are they like??”

Demora’s barrage of questions only ended when Hikaru started answering them. Ben got up and left to pack, and she beamed once she learned why. Hikaru presumed that skipping a meal for the chance to tell his daughter some stories from the Enterprise could be forgiven. They had three years of proper catching up to do, after all, and he would know who thank for the snack left in his quarters later.


End file.
